Mark Iacono

What he couldn’t possibly have known, because nothing in his life other than a love of his grandmother’s cooking led him there, was that he would create a matchless pizzeria. Lucali is high-end dining unlike any other in New York.
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Aunt Marie — her name is Marie Gambardella, and she is not a relative; it’s just what everyone calls her — catches him as she leaves her job as a receptionist at the 76th Precinct. He’s well regarded here, liked by the cops who used to give him five bucks for standing in a lineup. “I’ve known him since he was a baby,” Aunt Marie proudly points out.
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The name Lucali is a sort of mash-up of the names Louie, the proprietor of a beloved candy store that used to occupy the space, and Kalista, Mr. Iacono’s daughter.
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